How We Talk

Where are you when people . go to the coast instead of the beach . tote things as well as carry them . wait on line instead of in line . get groceries in a paper sack instead of a paper bag . say things like "The baby needs picked up" & "The car needs washed" . eat solid rectangular doughnuts that are also called beignets . complain when something is spendy ("costly") . are chilled by a blue norther . ask for tonic instead of soda . go "dahntahn" to shop. Allan Metcalf answers these &...
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Where are you when people . go to the coast instead of the beach . tote things as well as carry them . wait on line instead of in line . get groceries in a paper sack instead of a paper bag . say things like "The baby needs picked up" & "The car needs washed" . eat solid rectangular doughnuts that are also called beignets . complain when something is spendy ("costly") . are chilled by a blue norther . ask for tonic instead of soda . go "dahntahn" to shop. Allan Metcalf answers these & many other fascinating questions in his new book, How We Talk: American Regional English Today. In short, delightful essays, Metcalf explains the key features that make American speech so expressive & distinct. He begins in the South, home of the most easily recognized of American dialects, & travels north to New England, then on to the Midwest & the far West, even to Alaska & Hawaii. It's all here: the northern Midwest "Fargo" accent, Louisiana Cajun & New Orleans Yat, dropped r's as in Boston's "Hahvahd Yahd," & intrusive r's as in "Warshington," especially common in America's midlands. With additional chapters on ethnic dialects & dialects in the movies, Metcalf reveals the resplendence of one our nation's greatest natural resources -- its endless & varied talk.